Wooden container for I.D
 

A recent purchase.
Any ideas as to what it is for and where it comes from ?

Appears totally impractical for liquids as it would pour very badly and need to be tipped upside-down to completely drain.
Then again this would have to be done to pour out anything.

Made of wood and bound with riveted steel and brass bands.
About 12 inches across.
The stopper is wood and iron and looks original.
The chain is probably a replacement.

The workmanship looks as though it may be Afghan or simlar.
The shape looks as though it ought to be on a ship.
These two suggestions are, I think, mutually exclusive.


Regards
Roy

could this be a drum?

Campaign/Ship's tea caddy?

Oil storage for a whale-oil or kerosene lamp wick assembly which would be put in place of the stopper?

Well on the sticker it says WATER BOTTLE so..... :shrug:

It does indeed, but I don't believe it.

Is the flat side a stretched skin?
Could it be a hawking drum of some sort?

This would be my guess as well, an old smudge pot just missing the wick assembly. :shrug: These would use just about any oil that would burn, from kerosene and other petroleum oils to whale and olive oil. Does it have any distinct smell when the plug is removed?

Best,
Robert